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Our Eagle-Eyes have it!

eagleeyes project

CUMBERNAULD'S Craighalbert Centre has been selected as one of just four centres
worldwide to receive innovative software from an American charity.

As Scotland's national centre for children with cerebral palsy, the Craighalbert
is the only institution outside the United States to have received the EagleEyes
software package. This advanced equipment allows people to communicate via a
computer when they would normally be unable to do so due to physical disability.
One of these systems was donated to Craighalbert by the Opportunity Foundation
of America, a philanthropic organisation backed by various corporate interests
in the United States. The Opportunity Foundation has also provided Craighalbert
with CameraMouse software which is commercially available.

The EagleEyes system uses electrodes to detect eye movement which it translates
into commands for a mouse cursor. CameraMouse does the same thing with head
movement via a USB camera similar to a webcam. These mean that disabled children
at Craighalbert will be able to operate computers despite being unable to use
a mouse or keyboard - thereby enabling them to communicate through software.

The Craighalbert held a special reception and demonstration of the EagleEyes
software, hosted by centre director Dr Lillemor Jernqvist. Debbie Inkley, founder
of the Opportunity Foundation presented the software to Craighalbert while Professor
James Gips from Boston College in Massachusetts demonstrated the EagleEyes system
with the help of volunteer Jacki Cameron.

Dr Lillemor Jernqvist, director of the Craighalbert Centre said: "I am
very proud that the Craighalbert Centre has been chosen by The Opportunity Foundation
of America and Boston College to be a part of a network of partners. It is a
crucial element of our own learning community consisting of the children, staff
and parents that we can work together to develop theory and practice through
the use of pioneering technology. This project epitomises the Scottish Executive's
call for development and sharing of expertise and puts Craighalbert's expertise
at the forefront of computer assistive technology on a worldwide basis."

Debbie Inkley, founder and executive director of OFOA added: "We are very
excited about the prospect of bringing improvements to the lives of so many
people with severe disabilities. We hope to make EagleEyes available to the
public on a much larger scale. The international network of bodies adopting
EagleEyes will allow us to learn so much more about the educational and communication
benefits that it will bring to those children who up to now have been thought
to be unable to benefit from mainstream educational subjects because of their
inability to communicate."

Craighalbert are now using these communications packages to determine how many
of the children there will benefit and the Opportunity Foundation will provide
more systems once this is known.